Cutworms and Cannabis
Cutworms are most damaging to young seedling crops; capable of wiping them out in a single night. Cutworms are the larval stage of certain moth species. They have smooth bodies, are about one to two inches in length, gray or brown in color, may sport spots or stripes and will curl up in the shape of a ‘C’ when touched. Can be a serious threath to your cannabis crop because they feed on the leaves of your marijuana plants. On the other hand, this pests is very easy to threat….
Cutworms are shady characters, performing their dirty deeds under the cover of darkness; they are very sensitive to light. They do their damage by curling themselves around the base of seedlings and chewing through the stems, virtually decapitating your little gems. A tell-tale sign of a cutworm population is seedling tops appearing on the ground as if having been cut. Check the surrounding soil of damaged marijuana plants for cutworms by sifting a few inches of loose soil. Their presence will become known immediately. Cutworms are sly little rolls of covertness. Consider them the bullies of creepy crawlies, attacking the young and weak.
Preventative measures can be taken in an effort cutworm avoid damage to your cannabis crop at the time of planting. Be sure to till the soil in order to expose any cutworm population. Keep the garden free of weeds and grass once you plant your seedlings. You may want to consider planting sunflowers around the perimeter of the garden to act as host plants for cutworms and other stem munching bugs. Sunflowers can act as your decoy and camouflage at the same time. If you find cutworms on your decoy border, remove them and destroy them. They will drown if placed in a bucket of soapy water or gasoline.
Toads and parasitic wasps feast on cutworms. By mulching your cannabis bed after planting, you will create a home for toads which emerge at night to eat cutworms and other pests who operate under the radar of darkness.
If you want to take the time, try placing an empty toilet paper roll or like sized PVC pipe in the ground and submerging it at least once inch below and extending two inches above the surface. This is said to deter the cutworm from attaching itself to the marijuana stems by forming a barrier. Wrapping aluminum foil around the stem before planting is also purported to dissuade the chomping buggers.
Another method of eliminating the buggers is to hand pick them off the foliage at night with the aid of a flashlight. That is if you have nothing better to do with your evenings! Or try sprinkling corn meal around the garden. Cutworms and other critters, such as ants and fleas, eat the cornmeal but cannot digest it; their bellies blow up like balloons. As a result, they die. Ah sweet, sweet revenge!
If you order marijuana seeds from my webshop and you get problems with pests or diseases, I’m here to help you. There are guides about plant care where all pests/diseases are discussed and you can contact me by mail. Please like or share this article
Robert
robert@ilovegrowingmarijuana.com
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